🗺️ Calian Gnss Ros2 Driver

This repository contains the ROS2 package for integrating Calian GNSS receivers with ROS2-based systems.

Article: TruPrecision.pdf

Table of Contents

• 🤗 Introduction
• 💫 Features
• 📩 Requirements
• 📊 Parameters
• ⚙️ Operating Modes
• 📍 PointPerfect Setup
• 🚀 Installation
• 📚 Usage
• 🤝 Contributing
• ☎️ Purchase Call
• ✨ Reference
• 📒 Resources
• 📃 License

🤗 Introduction

Calian Gnss ROS2 is a ROS2 package that provides functionality for interfacing with Calian GNSS receivers. It allows you to receive and process GNSS data within your ROS2-based systems. This package provides ROS 2 nodes and utilities to interact with Calian GNSS receivers, enabling accurate localization, navigation, and time synchronization for your robotic projects.

💫 Features

• Real-Time Positioning: Achieve high-precision real-time positioning for your robots, essential for tasks like autonomous navigation and mapping
• ROS 2 Integration: Seamlessly integrate GNSS data into your ROS 2 ecosystem, making it easy to access and use GNSS information within your ROS-based applications.
• Customizable Configuration: Tailor the configuration to your specific requirements, with options for different GNSS constellations, frequencies, and data output formats.
• Monitoring Tool: Monitor you robot's location a map view.

📩 Requirements

• Calian GNSS Antenna

• Ubuntu 22

• ROS2 (Humble)

• Python

    NOTE: Ensure to have clear skies to get good precision values
  

🏁 101 Information about code:

📊 Parameters

1️⃣ Log parameters

Path: src/calian_gnss_ros2/params/logs.yaml

1. save_logs (boolean):

   • Flag to save logs. If true, all the logs will be saved to the logs folder.

2. log_level (integer):

   • Logging level. Log level values are of ROS2 logging standards. Default is Info.
     • (NotSet: 0, Debug: 10, Info: 20, Warn: 30, Error: 40, Critical: 50).

2️⃣ Config parameters:

Path: src/calian_gnss_ros2/params/config.yaml

1. unique_id (string):
   • Unique Id of Calian Gnss receiver. Run the Unique_id_finder node (assumes default baudrate) to get the unique ids of all connected antennas.
2. baud_rate (integer):
   • Baud rate for serial communication. Default value should be 230400.

3️⃣ Pointperfect parameters

Path: src/calian_gnss_ros2/params/pointperfect.yaml

1. use_corrections (boolean):

   • Flag indicating whether PPP-RTK corrections should be used.

2. config_path (string):

   • Path to PPP-RTK configuration file.

3. region (string):

   • Region information. Accepted values are us, eu, kr, au.

⚙️ Operating Modes

The Calian GNSS antenna can be operated in different modes based on configuration. The mode of operation cannot be changed when the node is running. It must be passed as an argument in the launch file.

1️⃣ Disabled Mode:

• Description: This mode works as a standalone node. Any Calian Gnss antenna can work in this mode.
• Functionality: Connects to the Calian Gnss antenna and publishes GPS data (latitude and longitude) on the gps topic with the message type NavSatFix. Complete Gnss receiver signal status is provided in the topic gps_extended with the message type GnssSignalStatus (Depends on calian_gnss_ros2_msg package)
• Launch File: calian_gnss_ros2/launch/disabled.launch.py
• Launch Arguments: arguments=['Disabled']

2️⃣ Heading_Base Mode:

• Description: Part of the moving baseline configuration. Calian antennas equipped with Zed-f9p will only work in this mode.
• Functionality: Connects to the serial port of the Calian antenna and publishes Rtcm corrections on the "rtcm_corrections" topic. This topic is intended for internal use by the respective rover nodes.
• Launch File: Calian_ros2/launch/moving_baseline.launch.py
• Launch Arguments: arguments=['Heading_Base']

3️⃣ Rover Mode:

• Description: Can be used in both moving baseline configuration and static baseline configuration. Calian antennas equipped with Zed-f9p/Zed-f9r(Doesn't work in moving baseline configuration only f9p does) will only work in this mode.
• Functionality: Connects to the serial port of the Calian antenna, subscribes to the "rtcm_corrections" topic created by the base node.
• Requirements: Requires another node running with Heading_Base or Static_Base.
• Launch Arguments: arguments=['Rover']

It's crucial to configure the launch files with the appropriate parameters and arguments based on the desired mode of operation. Additionally, ensure that the necessary dependencies are met and the topic names are unique for the antennas in same configuration.

📍 PointPerfect Setup

To achieve centimeter-level accuracy in real-time, PPP-RTK corrections are essential. These corrections can be obtained through the Pointperfect subscription service, accessible at https://www.u-blox.com/en/product/pointperfect. Follow the steps below to acquire and configure the necessary files:

• Visit the website to subscribe to the Pointperfect service.

• Once subscribed, navigate to the "Credentials" tab under the "Location Thing Details" section on the website.

• Download the ucenter configuration file provided and rename it to ucenter-config.json.

• Create a new folder named pointperfect_files at the following directory: humble_ws/src/calian_gnss_ros2/pointperfect_files/.

• Place the ucenter-config.json file inside the newly created pointperfect_files folder.

• When you run the node, it will generate several files within the pointperfect_files folder, which are necessary for establishing a connection to the subscription service.

🚀 Installation

To install Calian GNSS ROS2, follow these steps:

1. ROS Workspace: Move to your ROS2 workspace (example: mine is humble_ws)

    cd ~/humble_ws/src

2. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/indro-robotics/Calian_ros2.git
   git clone https://github.com/indro-robotics/Calian_msg.git

3. Build the package using colcon:

   cd ~/humble_ws
   colcon build

4. source the setup file:

   source install/setup.bash

5. Go to your project, and install requirements.txt for installing all the required libraries at once. (for exampe mine is under humble_ws/src/Calian_ros2)

   cd humble_ws/src/calian_gnss_ros2
   pip install -r requirements.txt

+ IMP NOTE: Source your package every time you make change or open a new terminal. 

+ Else you will see Error like <<Package 'calian_gnss_ros2' not found>> even if you have cloned it.

📚 Usage

The Calian GNSS ROS2 package provides flexibility in its configurations, and example launch files for different setups can be found in the launch folder (/src/calian_gnss_ros2/launch/). The package includes the gps_visualizer node, designed to run alongside the gps node, enabling the visualization of the published location data. Ensure to change the unique_id parameter in the launch files to the desired gnss receiver.

1️⃣ RTK disabled configuration.

• TO use corrections, Ensure the presence of the config_file.json in the designated location, as specified in the PPP-RTK corrections setup section.

• Set the parameters in the launch file:

  • use_corrections to True if the corrections service needs to be used.
  • config_path to 'src/calian_gnss_ros2/pointperfect_files/ucenter_config_file.json'
  • region to the desired region

• Build the workspace using colcon build and source the setup file with source install/setup.bash and your ROS setup. Repeat this step for any changes in the launch file.

• Launch the nodes using the following command:

  ros2 launch calian_gnss_ros2 disabled.launch.py
  

• Upon execution, the Calian_gps node starts in disabled configuration, publishing location data to the gps topic.

• The visualizer node is also initiated, and you can view the mapped location data at http://localhost:8080.

• Note: You can modify the default port number (8080) of the visualizer node by adjusting the port parameter in the launch file.

2️⃣ RTK-Moving Baseline configuration:

For the RTK-Moving Baseline configuration, which involves two Calian antennas (one base and one rover), and only antennas with Zed-f9p chips acting as the base:

• Follow similar steps as the RTK disabled configuration and make necessary changes to the launch file.

• Build and source the terminal.

• Launch the nodes with the command:

  ros2 launch calian_gnss_ros2 moving_baseline.launch.py
  

• Upon execution, the Calian_gps nodes start in Base and Rover modes in moving baseline configuration, publishing location data to the gps topic and extended information like heading, quality and accuracies to gps_extended topics.

• Access the location data at http://localhost:8080.

• Ensure to have clear skies to get good precision values.

3️⃣ RTK-Static Baseline configuration:

For the RTK-Static Baseline configuration, which involves one Calian antenna setup using TruPrecision as base at a known location and one or more devices/robots with one antenna acting as rovers connected to the Base.

• Make sure to use the same key used for the TruPrecision (Prefilled do not change unless if you have a separate source). Change the channel name to the one given in TruPrecision application.
• Build and source the terminal.
• Launch the nodes with the command:

  ros2 launch calian_gnss_ros2 static_baseline.launch.py
  

• Upon execution, The remote rtcm corrections handler and Calian_gps nodes start in Rover mode in static baseline configuration, publishing location data to the gps topic and extended information like heading, quality and accuracies to gps_extended topics.
• Access the location data at http://localhost:8080.
• Ensure to have clear skies to get good precision values. To view active topics use command

ros2 topic list

🤝 Contributing

Contributions to Calian ROS2 are welcome! If you find any issues or have suggestions for improvements, please open an issue or submit a pull request on GitHub.

☎️ Purchase Call

For inquiries or to purchase our Calian's Antenna, please contact us at Luke Corbeth(at InDro Robotics) or Calian. We are excited to assist you and provide further information about our offerings.

✨ Reference

For more information about the Calian ROS2 driver please refer to GitHub

📒 Resources

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Calian for their collaboration and support. Their contributions have been invaluable to our project's success, and we look forward to continuing our partnership in the future.

📃 License

This project is licensed under the terms of the MIT License